| 14When you enter the land that God, your God, is giving you, take possession of it, and settle it, and you say, ‘I will appoint a king over myself, like all the nations around me,’ |
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ידכִּֽי־תָבֹ֣א אֶל־הָאָ֗רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֨ר יְהֹוָ֤ה אֱלֹהֶ֨יךָ֙ נֹתֵ֣ן לָ֔ךְ וִֽירִשְׁתָּ֖הּ וְיָשַׁ֣בְתָּה בָּ֑הּ וְאָֽמַרְתָּ֗ אָשִׂ֤ימָה עָלַי֙ מֶ֔לֶךְ כְּכָל־הַגּוֹיִ֖ם אֲשֶׁ֥ר סְבִֽיבֹתָֽי: |
| 15you may indeed appoint a king over yourself, one whom God, your God, chooses. You must appoint a king over yourself from among your brothers; you may not appoint a foreigner—one who is not your brother—over yourself. |
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טושׂ֣וֹם תָּשִׂ֤ים עָלֶ֨יךָ֙ מֶ֔לֶךְ אֲשֶׁ֥ר יִבְחַ֛ר יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ בּ֑וֹ מִקֶּ֣רֶב אַחֶ֗יךָ תָּשִׂ֤ים עָלֶ֨יךָ֙ מֶ֔לֶךְ לֹ֣א תוּכַ֗ל לָתֵ֤ת עָלֶ֨יךָ֙ אִ֣ישׁ נָכְרִ֔י אֲשֶׁ֥ר לֹֽא־אָחִ֖יךָ הֽוּא: |
| 16But he must not acquire many horses for himself, so that he not bring the people back to Egypt in order to procure many horses, for God has said to you, ‘You must never return along that path.’ |
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טזרַק֘ לֹֽא־יַרְבֶּה־לּ֣וֹ סוּסִים֒ וְלֹֽא־יָשִׁ֤יב אֶת־הָעָם֙ מִצְרַ֔יְמָה לְמַ֖עַן הַרְבּ֣וֹת ס֑וּס וַֽיהֹוָה֙ אָמַ֣ר לָכֶ֔ם לֹ֣א תֹֽסִפ֗וּן לָשׁ֛וּב בַּדֶּ֥רֶךְ הַזֶּ֖ה עֽוֹד: |
| לֹֽא־יַרְבֶּה־לּוֹ סוּסִים - He must not acquire many horses for himself - but only as required for his chariots and riders, so that “he not bring the people back to Egypt,” since horses come from there, as it says about King Solomon: “A chariot was imported out of Egypt for 600 silver shekels, and a horse for 150.” |
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לֹֽא־יַרְבֶּה־לּוֹ סוּסִים.
אֶלָּא כְּדֵי מֶרְכַּבְתּוֹ, שֶׁלֹּא ישיב את העם מצרימה, שֶׁהַסּוּסִים בָּאִים מִשָּׁם, כְּמָה שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר בִּשְׁלֹמֹה (מלכים א י') וַתַּעֲלֶה וַתֵּצֵא מֶרְכָּבָה מִמִּצְרַיִם בְּשֵׁשׁ מֵאוֹת כֶּסֶף וְסוּס בַּחֲמִשִּׁים וּמֵאָה (סנהדרין כ"א):
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| 17He must not take many wives for himself, in order that his heart not be distracted. He must not acquire too much silver and gold for himself. |
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יזוְלֹ֤א יַרְבֶּה־לּוֹ֙ נָשִׁ֔ים וְלֹ֥א יָס֖וּר לְבָב֑וֹ וְכֶ֣סֶף וְזָהָ֔ב לֹ֥א יַרְבֶּה־לּ֖וֹ מְאֹֽד: |
| וְלֹא יַרְבֶּה־לּוֹ נָשִׁים - He must not take many wives for himself - only up to 18, for we find that King David had six wives, and he was told: “and if this be insufficient, I will add for you the same amount and again the same amount.” |
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וְלֹא יַרְבֶּה־לּוֹ נָשִׁים.
אֶלָּא י"ח, שֶׁמָּצִינוּ שֶׁהָיוּ לוֹ לְדָוִד שֵׁשׁ נָשִׁים, וְנֶאֱמַר לוֹ (שמואל ב י״ב:ח׳) "וְאִם מְעָט וְאֹסִפָה לְּךָ כָּהֵנָּה וְכָהֵנָּה":
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| וְכֶסֶף וְזָהָב לֹא יַרְבֶּה־לּוֹ מְאֹֽד - He must not acquire too much silver and gold for himself - only as necessary to maintain his army. |
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וְכֶסֶף וְזָהָב לֹא יַרְבֶּה־לּוֹ מְאֹֽד.
אֶלָּא כְּדֵי לִתֵּן לְאַכְסַנְיָא (ספרי; סנהדרין כ"א):
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| 18When he sits upon his royal throne, he must write for himself a second copy of this Torah on a scroll from the Torah scroll in the care of the Levitic priests. |
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יחוְהָיָ֣ה כְשִׁבְתּ֔וֹ עַ֖ל כִּסֵּ֣א מַמְלַכְתּ֑וֹ וְכָ֨תַב ל֜וֹ אֶת־מִשְׁנֵ֨ה הַתּוֹרָ֤ה הַזֹּאת֙ עַל־סֵ֔פֶר מִלִּפְנֵ֖י הַכֹּֽהֲנִ֥ים הַֽלְוִיִּֽם: |
| וְהָיָה כְשִׁבְתּוֹ - (lit.) It will then be when he sits - i.e., if he carries out these commandments, he is worthy that his kingship endure. |
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וְהָיָה כְשִׁבְתּוֹ.
אִם עָשָׂה כֵן כְּדַאי הוּא שֶׁתִּתְקַיֵּם מַלְכוּתוֹ (ספרי):
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| אֶת־מִשְׁנֵה הַתּוֹרָה - A second copy of this Torah - i.e., two Torah scrolls, one that is kept in his archives and one that accompanies him wherever he goes. Onkelos translates מִשְׁנֵה as פַּתְשֶׁגֶן, interpreting מִשְׁנֵה as related to thorough learning (שִׁנּוּן) and speech. |
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אֶת־מִשְׁנֵה הַתּוֹרָה.
שְׁתֵּי סִפְרֵי תוֹרָה, אַחַת שֶׁהִיא מֻנַּחַת בְּבֵית גְּנָזָיו, וְאַחַת שֶׁנִּכְנֶסֶת וְיוֹצֵאת עִמּוֹ (סנהדרין כ"א); וְאֻנְקְלוֹס תִּרְגֵּם "פַּתְשֶׁגֶן", פָּתַר משנה לְשׁוֹן שִׁנּוּן וְדִבּוּר:
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| 19It must remain with him, and he must read from it every day of his life, so that he may learn to revere God, his God; to safeguard all the words of this Torah and these rules by studying them so that he know how to properly perform them; |
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יטוְהָֽיְתָ֣ה עִמּ֔וֹ וְקָ֥רָא ב֖וֹ כָּל־יְמֵ֣י חַיָּ֑יו לְמַ֣עַן יִלְמַ֗ד לְיִרְאָה֙ אֶת־יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהָ֔יו לִ֠שְׁמֹ֠ר אֶת־כָּל־דִּבְרֵ֞י הַתּוֹרָ֥ה הַזֹּ֛את וְאֶת־הַֽחֻקִּ֥ים הָאֵ֖לֶּה לַֽעֲשׂתָֽם: |
| דִּבְרֵי הַתּוֹרָה - The words of this Torah. This phrase is to be understood literally. |
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דִּבְרֵי הַתּוֹרָה.
כְּמַשְׁמָעוֹ:
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| 20so that his heart will not become haughty over his brothers; and so that he will not deviate either to the right or to the left from the commandment, in order that he prolong his time over his kingdom—he and his sons—among Israel. |
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כלְבִלְתִּ֤י רֽוּם־לְבָבוֹ֙ מֵֽאֶחָ֔יו וּלְבִלְתִּ֛י ס֥וּר מִן־הַמִּצְוָ֖ה יָמִ֣ין וּשְׂמֹ֑אול לְמַ֩עַן֩ יַֽאֲרִ֨יךְ יָמִ֧ים עַל־מַמְלַכְתּ֛וֹ ה֥וּא וּבָנָ֖יו בְּקֶ֥רֶב יִשְׂרָאֵֽל: |
| וּלְבִלְתִּי סוּר מִן־הַמִּצְוָה - And so that he will not deviate from the commandment - i.e., even a seemingly minor instruction by a prophet. |
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וּלְבִלְתִּי סוּר מִן־הַמִּצְוָה.
אֲפִלּוּ מִצְוָה קַלָּה שֶׁל נָבִיא:
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| לְמַעַן יַֽאֲרִיךְ יָמִים - In order that he prolong his time. From the positive statement you can infer the negative. And so we find regarding Saul, that Samuel said to him: “you must wait seven days until I come to you to offer up ascent-offerings.” Later it is written: “Saul waited seven days,” but he did not keep his promise to wait the entire day. He had not yet finished offering up the ascent-offering when Samuel arrived and said to him: “you were foolish and did not keep…and now your reign will not endure.” You thus learn that he was punished for failing to comply with a minor instruction by a prophet. |
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לְמַעַן יַֽאֲרִיךְ יָמִים.
מִכְּלַל הֵן אַתָּה שׁוֹמֵעַ לָאו; וְכֵן מָצִינוּ בְשָׁאוּל שֶׁאָמַר לוֹ שְׁמוּאֵל (שמואל א י') "שִׁבְעַת יָמִים תּוֹחֵל עַד בּוֹאִי אֵלֶיךָ", לְהַעֲלוֹת עוֹלוֹת, וּכְתִיב (שם י"ג) "וַיּוֹחֶל שִׁבְעַת יָמִים", וְלֹא שָׁמַר הַבְטָחָתוֹ לִשְׁמֹר כָּל הַיּוֹם, וְלֹא הִסְפִּיק לְהַעֲלוֹת הָעוֹלָה עַד שֶׁבָּא שְׁמוּאֵל וְאָמַר לוֹ "נִסְכָּלְתָּ לֹא שָׁמַרְתָּ וְגוֹ' וְעַתָּה מַמְלַכְתְּךָ לֹא תָקוּם", הָא לָמַדְתָּ שֶׁבִּשְׁבִיל מִצְוָה קַלָּה שֶׁל נָבִיא נֶעֱנַשׁ:
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| הוּא וּבָנָיו - He and his sons. This informs us that if his son is qualified for kingship, he takes priority over anyone else. |
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הוּא וּבָנָיו.
מַגִּיד שֶׁאִם בְּנוֹ הָגוּן לְמַלְכוּת הוּא קוֹדֵם לְכָל אָדָם (הוריות י"א):
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